[3830] CQWW SSB WO1N SO(A)AB LP

[webform at b4h.net]

                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB - 2020

Call: WO1N
Operator(s): WO1N
Station: WO1N

Class: SO(A)AB LP
QTH: Massachusetts
Operating Time (hrs): 21.5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:    0     0        0
   80:   50    12       22
   40:   60    13       33
   20:  110    16       49
   15:  120    19       53
   10:   30     7       12
------------------------------
Total:  370    67      169  Total Score = 234,820

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

Station: FTdx5000, C3-SS at 38', 40MDipole at 60', 80MDbl-L, N1MM+ 

Soapbox : 

 Pre-contest work included restoring 80M Double L and moving the
 resonance point up to 3650 (from the band edge). It now covers
 the entire band without the need for a tuner. Restrung a 40M Dipole
 with some new rope placements that should get it close to 60'.
 However both ends were hung up on other branches limiting it
 to about 45'. Ran out of sunlight to mess with it more. It 
 had to be good to go.
 
 Goals were 20 hours, 500Q and 20 bags of leaves. Ready to go
 at start, 4Q's in first hour. OK it's going to be one of *those*
 contests. Slogged it out until the last hour hit 1. Pulled the plug.

 Saturday start was much better on the high bands. Basically, give
 each station 2 solid calls and move on if they don't hear you.

 About 1430Z took a break to send the wife off to her mothers
 weekly grocery delivery. When I was outside loading her car
 the western sky looked very omninous, like a WX front was on
 its way. Grabbed the cell phone and pulled up my go-to weather
 site and I see this nasty looking WX front headed our way.
 "Crap, lets get started on the leaves before it rains", I thought.
 See the 3rd goal.

 First order of business was to cut down a scraggly limb from some
 non-descript tree that was hanging up one end of the 40M dipole at
 about 25'. Perch on a 10' ladder using a 15'tree pole and managed
 not to kill myself when the branch came crashing down. Mission
 accomplished. SE end of dipole up at least 60'. NW end still hung
 up.

 I was so impressed with the downed limb I grabbed my cell phone to
 take a picture before I cut it up. Hey, let's check the WX site at
 which point the page updated to the real current conditions
 which showed no rain anywhere in our area. Damn!

 Back on the air 6.5 hours and one shower later. 10 bags and one tree
 limb deconstructed into firewood.
 
 Saturday evening was a real slog. Took breaks as needed as to not
 lose my sanity. Pulled the plug about 0600Z. Got a good nights rest
 and was back on the air in the 1200Z hour. 5 hour stint until the
 2nd leave marathon. With the wife's help, another 15 bags. At least
 that goal was accomplished! Before I returned to the station I had
 my daughter work with me to pop the 2nd end of the 40M dipole around
 a limb. Success! I'm claiming 60'. Highest I've ever had the dipole
 at my QTH. Got to keep feeding those antenna support structures
 otherwise known as trees.

 N1MM+ says 21 hours, so another goal met. Just could not get a run
 going anywhere, including calling CQ for 20 minutes on 20 (I think)
 as an experiment to see if I was just not being patient enough.
 After 2Q's (a VE and a zero point US station) I decided to move on.
 Thank goodness for voice keyers. 

 Another one in the books. I had improved my station, adjusted my
 expectations, managed op times to not get frustrated and had a blast. 
 
 Can't wait for the next one...

 73,

 Ken - WO1N


Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/